There seems to be a lot of love for the AKG K500 here on the forums, but it doesn’t have its own thread of appreciation yet and info is scattered all over different threads. Let’s start one here and sing the praises of the K500 . (Or not; appreciation is different from fanboy-dom after all). Changing the pads does a lot for it, so this might also be a good place to discuss what pads are best suited for the K500. And recable options of course. Anyone did a recable on these beauties? And the different versions that AKG saw fit to produce (are there K500 early, middle and late runs?) Anything you want to say or ask about the K500, put it in this thread.

Not much to add at the moment, I'm just listening to them with Oistrakh performing Shostakovich 2nd Violin Concerto and its amazing how great a Russian recording from the 60's can sound. For me, these headphones achieve a magical balance between headstage, detail and a listening experience which is equally relaxing and involving.

Recabling is something I'd like to do in the near future. (But first there are some less interesting, but more pressing 'projects' to finish.) I will report on the results in due time.

As to different versions: apparently there is a version with a completely metal (gold-plated) plug and a version in which part of the plug is made of plastic. Anyone care to eleborate on this?

With a metal plug:

With a plastic plug:

(I might be completely mistaken, since the second picture comes from an Ebay-advertisement and the actual headphones are not (yet) in my possession.)

I like the K701 pads on the K500, but fyi, not on the K400- it becomes too dry. The 701 pads do take away from the liquid mids of the K500 as well, but I can't stand the highs on them stock, so it's necessary. I would bet that K601 pads would be a great compromise, as many have stated here.

IMO, lower the number, better the eggs But I haven't heard them all at once to be able to say more than that. But I know I like K501>K701. And I know I like K500>K501. And I know that I like K400>K500. The only one I haven't heard is the K401, which I imagine is just where the number puts it in the scale of things. I owned both K500 and K400 for a couple months, and I can say that the K400 is a bit more mellow up top, and has the most delicious mids I think I've ever heard, the sound can only be described as more "liquid" than the K500. Although I don't know what that really means- but it's the best way I can find to describe it, and I bet yall know what Im talking about.